Resilient hand stamp



Dec. 27, 1960 w. c. HARRIS ETAL 2,966,116

RESILIENT HAND STAMP Filed Feb. 2, 1960 mim INVEN TOR.

A TTORNEY United States Patent F 'RESILIENT HAND STAMP William C. Harris and Kenneth G. Klema, Racine, assignors to S. C. Johnson & Son Inc., Racine, Wis.

Filed Feb. 2, 1960, Ser. No. 6,229

6 Claims. (Cl. 101-368) This invention relates to a resilient hand stamp. More particularly, the invention relates to a hand stamp having a printing member which remains out of contact with relatively plane surfaces except when used in a prescribed manner.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is a hand stamp which may be placed upon any relatively planesurface with an exposed printing member facing the planar surface but remaining out of contact therewith until actuated by pressure. A more specific object of the invention is a hand stamp as described comprising a housing having two opposed flexible side walls which permit the printing member to be brought into contact with a surface to be printed by the application of pressure on the housing. Other objects will become apparent upon reading the description of the invention and its mode of operation.

Figure 1 is a side elevation. Figure 2 is an end elevation with a cutaway section. Figure 3 is a bottom view as observed by turning the printing member toward the viewer. Figure 4 is a vertical cross section perpendicular to the long axis of the printing member as shown in Figure 3. Figure 5 is a perspective view of a cross section showing a cut away portion of an alternate side wall construction.

The hand stamp comprises a housing which has at least two opposed side walls 5 and 6, joined together intermediate their upper and lower extremities by a transverse dividing member 12, the lower portions 7 and 8 of the opposed side walls being flexibly mounted to the upper portions of the same side walls. Transverse member 12 couples the outer walls at a position above the point of flexure which divides the side walls into upper portions 5 and 6, and lower portions, 7 and 8. In the drawings, coupling means consist of vertically oriented grooves 15 which receive projections 16 extending downwardly from the inner surfaces of side walls 6 and 7. The transverse plate is supported by inwardly extending horizontal nubs 17. A printing member, 1%, is aflixed to the outer side of the transverse dividing member 12 so that it lies in a plane 13 above and substantially parallel to the plane 14 which is established by the lower extremities 15a and 16a of the lower portions 7 and 8 of the opposed side walls 5 and 6. Projecting downwardly from the transverse plate on both sides of printing member are limiting means 18. The lower extremities of these means occupy a position below the line of flexure of the side walls and above the printing surface of printing member 10. Preferably, the housing will consist of a flexible thermoplastic material which has been molded with a recess, 9, in the outer side of each of the two opposed side walls 5 and 6. Instead of being grooved, the plastic side walls may be perforated along the line established by recess 9. Also the grooved or perforated side walls may be constructed from a resilient metal such as spring steel.

In operation, the housing is grasped by walls 5 and 6 and the hand stamp is pressed in the direction of the printing member 10 upon paper or other material upon 2,966,116 Patented Dec. 27, 1960 which it is desired to make an imprint. As the lower extremities 15a and 16a of the lower portions 7 and 8 of the side walls 5 and 6 come into contact with paper which is properly supported, the side walls flex at recess 9, permitting the lower extremities to move outwardly and the printing member to be lowered into contact with the paper. Limiting means 18 prevent the application of extreme pressure to the printing member 10. Upon release of pressure, the lower extremities 13 and 14 of the lower portions 7 and 8 of side walls 5 and 6 move in a direction toward each other so that the printing member moves away from the surface being printed.

In manufacture, the transverse dividing member 12 and side walls 5 and 6 joined by top connecting member 11 may be extruded as continuous members. Each piece is cut to the length desired for individual stamps and the unit assembled by slidingly engaging the transverse member and side walls. The unit is ready to use after the printing member has been fixed to the outer surface of the transverse member. If desired, a second pair of housing end walls 19 and 20 may be added to provide a neater appearance. These end pieces may be secured in place by any means desired. Locking means 21, and a companion component not shown, engage each side of transverse member 12 for this purpose.

The present stamp case is particularly suitable for use in the production of hand stamps which do not need to be re-inked. Printing members for such hand stamps are readily made from a microporous ink containing composition produced in accordance with US. Patent 2,777,824.

Any flexible non-brittle plastic may be used for the construction of the side walls and flexible connection joining their upper and lower portions. Among the suitable plastics are polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene; vinyl copolymers, for example, those of vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate, copolymers of polystyrene; modified polyacrylates such as vinyl chloride copolymers of methyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate; polyamides such as poly E-caprolactam, polyhexamethylene adipamide and copolymers of adipic acid, sebacic acid, E-caprolactam and hexamethylene diamine. Polypropylene is preferred. For these plastics there may be substituted a spring metal such as spring steel in the construction of the opposed side walls or the flexible segment joining the upper and lower portions thereof. In selecting the material for the flexible walls, the only criterion is that it be possible to render the composition flexible by perforating or grooving it at the desired line of flexure and that the composition possess suflicient rigidity so that the printing member is not permitted to come in touch with desk surfaces, paper and the like without the application of pressure to the housing.

Skilled persons will readily appreciate that a number of obvious modifications within the spirit of the invention as disclosed in the drawings and here described can be devised. These modifications are intended as within the scope of the disclosure and covered by the appended claims. Now having described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A hand stamp comprising a housing having opposed side walls, a transverse member joining said side walls intermediate their upper and lower extremities, the lower portion of each side wall being flexibly connected with the upper portion of the same side wall by a connecting segment having a thickness less than the thickness of the side wall adjacent thereto, said connecting segment being positioned below the transverse member, and a printing member mounted on the underside of said transverse member.

2. A hand stamp comprising a housing having opposed side walls, a transverse member joining said side walls at points between their upper and lower extremities having a printing member mounted on the underside thereof, the lower portion ofeach side wall beingfiexibly connected at a point below the transverse member with the upper portion of the same side wall by a connecting segpressure to the housing in the direction of the printing member, the lower portions of said opposed side walls flex outwardly along the connecting segment permitting the printing member to descend to the same plane as that established by the lower edges of the side walls, and upon release of saidpressure, the printing plate and side wall portions return to their original positions.

3. A hand stamp comprising a housing having opposed side Walls, a transverse memberjoining said side walls intermediate their upper and lower extremities, the lower portions of said side walls being flexibly connected to the upper portions of said side walls by connecting segments having a thickness less than the thickness of their side walls adjacent to said connecting segments, said connecting segments being positioned below the respective points at which said transverse member is joined to said side walls, and a printing member mounted on the underside of said transverse member.

4. A hand stamp comprising a housing having opposed side walls, a transverse member joining said side walls at points between their upper and lower extremities having a printing member mounted on the underside thereof, the lower portion of each side wall being flexibly connected, below the point at which saidtransverse member isjoined; tosaid side wall, to the upper portion of the same side wall by a connecting segment having a thickness less than the thickness of the side wall adjacent thereto, so that upon application of pressure to the housing in the direction of the printing member, the lower portions of said opposed side walls flex outwardly along the connecting segment permitting the printing member to descend to the sameplane as that established by the lower edges of the side walls, and upon release of said presment having a thickness less than the thickness of the side wall adjacent thereto, so that upon application of .4 sure, the printing plate and side wall portions'return to their original positions.

5. A hand stamp comprising a housing having opposed side walls, a transverse member joining said side walls intermediate their upper and lower extremities, the lower portions of said side walls being flexibly connected to the upper portions of said side walls by perforated connecting segments, having a thickness less than the thickness of their side walls adjacent to said connecting segrnents, said connecting segments being positioned below the respective points at which said transverse member is joined to said side walls, and a printing member mounted on the underside of said transverse member.

6. A hand stamp comprising a housing having opposed side walls, a transverse member joining said side walls at points between their upper and lower extremities having a printing member mounted on the underside thereof, the lower portion of each side wall being flexibly connected, below the point at which said transverse member is connected to said side wall, to the upper portion of the same side wall by a perforated connecting segment, so thatupon application of pressure to the housing in the direction of the printing member, the lower portions of said opposed side walls flex outwardly along the connecting segment permitting the printing member to descend to the same plane as that established by the lower edges of the side walls, and upon release of said pressure, the printing plate and side wall portions return to their original positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,408,207 Jones Feb. 23, 1922 2,498,129 Lindsay Feb. 21, 1,950

2,777,824 Leeds Jan. 15, 1957 2,923,559 Becker Ian. 12 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 200,388 Switzerland Dec. 16, 1938 584,864 Great Britain Ian. 24, 1947 

